As Australian as apple, er, meat pie

Jai Snowdon, 29, of Costa Mesa is one of the co-owners of Pie-Not; Costa Mesa's first and only Aussie pie shop. Pie-Not opened its doors approximately three months ago and specializes in gourmet savory pies, along with Australian coffees and desserts. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Pie-Not Aussie Style Bakery

The menu: Different sorts of pies are available for breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. In addition to espresso, customers can order meat pies, veggie pies, sweet treats and other pastries. For example, the dog's eye pie is a standard Aussie meat pie that has ground beef and finely diced onions in a short crust pastry shell with a puff pastry lid.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays.

Location: 270 E. 17th Street Suite 17, Costa Mesa 92629

COSTA MESA At Pie-Not, a new eatery in Costa Mesa, you won't find apple pie, peach cobbler or pumpkin-filled sweetness.

No, these are Aussie-style pies, stuffed with meat, onions, spices and other savory fillings.

This first Aussie pie shop in Orange County opened in May. Since then, demand has bounded past expectations, compelling the owners to order more automation equipment, stay open longer, redesign the kitchen and rethink their business plan.

On opening day, Pie-Not sold out of pies in four hours, meaning the original plan for 300 pies per day quickly had to be increased.

These aren't the sort of pies you attack with a spoon or a knife and fork. You chow these down by hand – and with filling that's not soupy, it's surprisingly non-messy.

"The best Aussie pie you should be able to eat and drive with it," said CEO Jai Snowdon, 29, joking that he and partner and CFO Ryan Lopiccolo, 31, did many trial runs to make sure the pies qualified.

Pie shops and bakeries such as Pie-Not are prolific across Australia, with every town having some, said Snowdon, who grew up in Queensland, Australia.

There, pies also make great fare for customers looking for something savory and filling after quaffing beers all night. Though Pie-Not closes at 8 p.m., in Australia the bakeries are open early when the clubs release hungry, drunken patrons onto the streets.

"When you walk out of the club at 5 a.m., it's straight to the bakery," Snowdon said.

Expansion plans are already in the works for the Pie-Not owners. An initial business plan called for beachfront locations, with surfers as a target demographic. But the sorts of customers walking in the door so far have forced the owners to adjust those plans.

Step one is an off-site kitchen to prepare pies daily. The shop could go wholesale, catering events – which it already does – and serving at music festivals. Or, it could expand to new locations where foodies congregate such as Orange Circle, downtown Fullerton, downtown Santa Ana or Second Street in Long Beach.

Snowdon and Lopiccolo didn't plan their foray into pies: Snowdon worked as graphic and clothing artist for Quiksilver and other companies before he and Lopiccolo decided to start the business. They got private loans – they wouldn't disclose how much – found a chef, and opened the shop.

Nailing down the recipe of the basic Dog's eye pie was crucial and the most difficult challenge since many of the other pies are based off it, Snowdon said. While the shop offers many flavors of pie, the owners describe them as more gourmet than many pies at shops in Australia, where there is an enormous range of quality in pies – just like here with America's national food, the hamburger.

"You can get a pie in the gas station, or you can get a gourmet pie," Lopiccolo said, lamenting what he described as subpar pies at a new pie shop in New York City called Pie Face. "If we're going to introduce pies to Americans, we want to give them the best."

Customer Marcos Payan, 37, who lives in Costa Mesa, was already raving about the pie shop when he stopped by while on other errands this week.

"I can spend more at McDonald's and get much lower quality food," Payan said, eight bites into his meat pie. He ordered several more for coworkers on his way out, promising to return.

Jai Snowdon, 29, of Costa Mesa is one of the co-owners of Pie-Not; Costa Mesa's first and only Aussie pie shop. Pie-Not opened its doors approximately three months ago and specializes in gourmet savory pies, along with Australian coffees and desserts. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jai Snowdon, 29, of Costa Mesa is one of the co-owners of Pie-Not; Costa Mesa's first and only Aussie pie shop. Pie-Not opened its doors approximately three months ago and specializes in gourmet savory pies, along with Australian coffees and desserts. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Among Pie-Not's offerings are is the Drover pie, front, the Vege Patch, left, and the Broc Top, right. The Drover pie is one of the most popular pies and is made with a filling of ground beef, peas, and carrots. MACKENZIE REISS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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